Overhead sectional doors can have a number of problems which may be overcome by placing reinforcing struts on the doors. When overhead sectional doors are in the open position, the weight of the door often causes panels of the door to bow downwardly. This is both aesthetically displeasing and can also damage the panels. Placement of struts transverse the panels can reduce the bow in the panels and also prevent the panels from damage.
Most overhead sectional doors are fitted with a remote control operator. This operator is attached to an arm which enables the door to be opened or closed. The arm exerts a pushing or a pulling force on the top of the door section which can be substantially large and may damage the panels of the door. To counter this effect, a strut can be placed at the top edge of the door to cater for these loads.
When a garage door is closed, it becomes a relatively large single surface which has to be able to resist wind pressure. In cyclonic or hurricane winds, the forces that can be generated on the panels are extremely large. The weakest areas on most overhead sectional doors are the top and the bottom edges of the door. Therefore, struts can be placed on the bottom and top edge of the door to counter wind pressure.
Currently, the struts used on overhead sectional doors that are U-shaped in cross-section. The strength of these struts can be dramatically affected by the way in which they are attached to the overhead sectional door. The struts are usually attached by the manufacturer and if not attached correctly, the door may become damaged by the three factors discussed above. Further, the struts that are currently used are quite heavy. The extra weight increases the size requirements of the springs and other components need for the overhead sectional door. This leads to a total cost increase of the overhead sectional doors. Still further, the strength of the current reinforcing struts still permits failure of overhead sectional doors at relatively low loadings.